Daily Current Affairs : 5-December-2023

The recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) sheds light on the staggering hidden costs of global agrifood systems, exceeding $10 trillion. In countries like India, these costs contribute to nearly 11% of GDP, resulting in detrimental effects on poverty, the environment, and public health. This essay explores the impacts of intensive agriculture, the policy environment, and the pivotal role of crop diversification in mitigating these challenges.

Impacts of Intensive Agriculture:
  • Productivity Gains: Monocropping and chemical-intensive farming practices in India have led to significant improvements in agricultural productivity over the past five decades.
  • Green Revolution Focus: The Green Revolution’s emphasis on high-yielding varieties of paddy and wheat has dominated agricultural production, compromising seed sovereignty and nutritional diversity.
  • Increased Indebtedness: Privatization and deregulation have contributed to higher levels of indebtedness among farming households, rendering agriculture increasingly unviable.
Policy Environment and Its Favors:
  • Legal Right to Food: The National Food Security Act 2013 ensures legal access to subsidized food for 65% of households in India.
  • Rice and Wheat Dominance: Procurement policies heavily favor rice and wheat, neglecting coarse grains and contributing to a decline in their cultivation.
  • Promotion of Water-Intensive Crops: Biased policies towards rice and wheat promote water-intensive cash crops, impacting biodiversity and exacerbating environmental pollution.
Crop Diversification’s Role:
  • Shift Towards Local Focus: Transitioning from global to local value chains is crucial for addressing systemic issues in the food system.
  • Agroecology-Based Solutions: Diversified multi-cropping systems rooted in agroecological principles offer advantages like income generation, food and fodder production, and ecosystem services.
  • Benefits of Millets: Millets, with comparable yields to rice and wheat, provide enhanced nutrition, grow in semi-arid conditions, and help preserve natural capital.
Transitioning Farmers to Diversified Farming:
  • Gradual Approach: A systematic and gradual transition, moving away from chemical-intensive practices, allows farmers to adapt over time.
  • Diversification of Income: Farmers can diversify income sources by incorporating livestock and poultry into their practices.
  • Economic Modeling: Preliminary economic modeling suggests potential improvements in ecological outcomes while sustaining farm incomes in the short and long run.
Challenges and Collaborations:

Addressing challenges during this transition, such as ensuring access to local seeds and creating market access, requires collaboration among institutions, policymakers, and social groups. Economic incentives are essential for farmers to shift from high-input monoculture to diversified cropping.

Important Points:

Impacts of Intensive Agriculture:

  • Monocropping and chemical-intensive practices have significantly increased agricultural productivity in India.
  • The dominance of paddy and wheat from the Green Revolution has compromised seed sovereignty and nutritional diversity.
  • Privatization and deregulation contribute to rising levels of indebtedness among farming households, making agriculture increasingly unviable.

Policy Environment and Its Favors:

  • The National Food Security Act 2013 ensures legal access to subsidized food for 65% of Indian households.
  • Procurement policies heavily favor rice and wheat, neglecting coarse grains and contributing to their cultivation decline.
  • Biased policies toward rice and wheat promote water-intensive cash crops, negatively impacting biodiversity and causing environmental pollution.

Crop Diversification’s Role:

  • Transitioning from global to local value chains is crucial for addressing systemic issues in the food system.
  • Diversified multi-cropping systems rooted in agroecological principles offer advantages such as income generation, food and fodder production, and ecosystem services.
  • Millets, with comparable yields to rice and wheat, provide enhanced nutrition, grow in semi-arid conditions, and help preserve natural capital.

Transitioning Farmers to Diversified Farming:

  • A systematic and gradual transition away from chemical-intensive practices allows farmers to adapt over time.
  • Farmers can diversify income sources by incorporating livestock and poultry into their practices.
  • Economic modeling suggests potential improvements in ecological outcomes while sustaining farm incomes in the short and long run.

Challenges and Collaborations:

  • Addressing challenges during the transition, such as ensuring access to local seeds and creating market access, requires collaboration among institutions, policymakers, and social groups.
  • Economic incentives are essential for farmers to shift from high-input monoculture to diversified cropping.
Why In News

A recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reveals the astonishing hidden costs of global agrifood systems, surpassing $10 trillion. In countries like India, these costs account for nearly 11% of GDP, leading to increased poverty, environmental damage, and health-related issues, including undernourishment and unhealthy diets.

The report attributes these rising costs to unsustainable practices and emphasizes the need for a transformation in agrifood systems, suggesting a shift to multi-cropping systems to protect farmers, improve nutrition, and enhance ecological health. Addressing these challenges is critical for fostering sustainable development and ensuring the well-being of present and future generations.

MCQs about Transforming Agrifood Systems for Sustainable Futures

  1. What does the recent UN FAO report highlight regarding the hidden costs of global agrifood systems?
    A. Over $5 trillion
    B. Approximately $10 trillion
    C. Less than $1 trillion
    D. Exact figures not mentioned
    Correct Answer: B. Approximately $10 trillion
    Explanation: The hidden costs of global agrifood systems, as revealed by the UN FAO report, surpass $10 trillion.
  2. Which factor is NOT mentioned as a consequence of the Green Revolution’s focus on paddy and wheat in India?
    A. Compromised seed sovereignty
    B. Nutritional diversity decline
    C. Increase in farmer incomes
    D. Environmental consequences
    Correct Answer: C. Increase in farmer incomes
    Explanation: While the Green Revolution led to improvements in agricultural productivity, it compromised seed sovereignty, nutritional diversity, and had adverse environmental consequences.
  3. What is suggested as a key strategy for transitioning farmers to diversified farming?
    A. Overnight shift to diversified crops
    B. Biased procurement policies
    C. Gradual and systematic transition
    D. Increasing dependence on chemical-intensive practices
    Correct Answer: C. Gradual and systematic transition
    Explanation: A systematic and gradual transition for farmers, allowing them to adapt over time by moving away from chemical-intensive practices towards diversified farming.

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